Proof of His Strength
by MaskedPyro
Summary: Ever since we met him, we called him weak. But now... He my be our younger brother, but he's anything but weak. If only we didn't have to find that out the hard way. Now all I want, is to go home. Back to my own time. (Young!Ace Young!Sabo Time travel Based after time skip and after Dressrosa. Semi-AU. Rated for language)
1. Past Meets Future

Chapter 1: Meeting the Future

**(Hey guyz~! I'm so sorry I took so long to write this. Shit's been happening. Mostly school. And now with Halloween… I'm busy as shit! So, while I have a break in homework, I'm writing this for you! I hope you don't hate me for the wait. On to the crap!)**

**Warning: This is my first attempt at a first person. If it sucks, tell me and I won't do it again. Also, since I finished writing this so late, it isn't proof read. So if there's any mistakes, please tell me.**

So I know what you're thinking, "What the hell". Well I've been thinking the same for the past few months. Actually, my brothers and I have been trying to figure out how as well. All we knew was, that morning we were running through the forest like usual, trying to hunt for breakfast because Luffy – the youngest of us three – had woken up screaming about how hungry he was. But when he ran off and out of our sight, we never saw him again. It wasn't that he went missing. It was more like we had gone missing. Missing from our time that is. While searching, something had happened that caused us to jump into the future. Over twelve years into the future actually. We've been trying to figure out a way back ever since. But nothing has worked.

My name's Sabo and this is the story of how my brother and I were sent to the future. And hopefully, the story of how we got back.

-x-x-x-

I woke up that morning with a weight jumping on my stomach. When I opened my cobalt eyes, I saw raven colored hair, black owlish eyes with a scar under the left, and a large grin. I instantly knew it was my little brother Luffy. He was beaming like usual, maybe even more so, and I knew why. I looked around and saw our older brother Ace, though I would never admit he was older – it was only by two months anyways. I saw him scowling at Luffy as if angry, but the look in his obsidian eyes proved he was just joking and the freckles on his face made it look almost like a childish pout. I looked back to Luffy and saw him grinning still. The grin was for a simple reason. His sworn brothers were awake and that meant it was time to hunt for breakfast.

I sat up and watched Luffy roll off of me before sitting up happily. His grin, one of pure innocence and happiness, made me grin as well. I honestly didn't care about him waking me up like he did. It was part of the daily routine. As I stood up, I saw the grin on Ace's face. If Luffy had a true superpower – not counting him being made of rubber due to his Devil Fruit – it would be being able to make anyone smile. As soon as he smiled, you did too. No matter how you felt just moments before. Luffy was, in all honesty, that little puppy dog you couldn't hate no matter how hard you tried. If you don't believe me, then just ask Ace. I'm still amazed by how things turned out honestly. Two months ago, Ace hated Luffy and even wanted to kill him – he tried to everyday actually. But now, they're my brothers. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

We quickly grabbed our pipes as I grabbed my oversized black top hat with blue goggles I've never used and jumped out of the treehouse we called home. Ace had landed on a nearby branch before jumping from branch to branch only to stand on the leaf covered forest floor. Luffy, even with his abilities, had fallen and landed on his butt. I honestly wasn't surprised. Just because he had abilities, it didn't mean he knew how to use them. My landing, however, was simple yet slightly elegant I guess. I merely jumped from the door and landed nicely on my feet. With each of our landings, the leaves around us flew up lightly, barely going past our knees. Quickly, Luffy stood back up – completely uninjured – and I put on my favored hat. As soon as we were ready, we took off in the direction of one of the closer hunting grounds.

Dawn Island consisted of many terrains. Mountains, forest, beach, the 'high and mighty' Goa Kingdom, the sweet and simple Fushia Village, the Gray Terminal, and other likenesses. If you got rid of all the snot nosed nobles and their kingdom, this island would seem like paradise to me. Because of this, my brothers and I lived in the forest where we would train and hunt for our own food. We didn't really avoid the kingdom. We would sneak in and steal as much beri as we could. We used it for our pirate funds. The funds we would use to buy a pirate ship one day. When we weren't in the country or the forest, we were in the Gray Terminal. The Gray Terminal was the place outside the walls of the kingdom that the nobles used as a dump. It was also a place where the homeless people lived. Nobody lived in the forest. Everyone considered it deadly and they always made up rumors about how no ones returned once stepping foot inside. I guess that's what happens when you live in the East Blue, the weakest of all the seas. But my brothers and I weren't weak. We were strong and knew every inch of the forest like the back of our hands. Well maybe not Luffy as much as Ace and I but you get the point. We knew what was dangerous and we knew what was safe. We also knew the best hunting spots.

We ran with smiles on our faces. Not a care in the world and just enjoying the moment as it happened. We ran as fast as we could while making the weirdest faces. Eventually, we started spreading out. We weren't side by side anymore. We were running our own preferred paths. Luffy was jumping around at random and soon was in the trees. He stayed in the thinner parts of the trees where we were able to see him. Ace was doing about the same but he knew the trees more so I wasn't as worried. Luffy was smart and seemed like a monkey but he didn't know the forest as well as we did and that's what started to worry me. Fortunately, we made it to our hunting grounds altogether. I know I shouldn't worry as much as I am. Luffy's strong. But stupid. That fact – and it is a fact – along with a bad memory makes me worry.

One of the first times we took Luffy to go hunting, he had been attacked by an angry boar. At the time, Ace and I had no clue why but after it all calmed down, we found out Luffy was chasing a young boar and the mother was defending its child. The attack had just _barely _missed him but it was enough for us to worry. After that, Ace and I watched him carefully every time we went hunting. Ace would never admit it because he was "too tough for that" but he did care. It didn't help that Luffy had actually been eaten by a crocodile once – what preceded that was not my fault I swear.

When I left the world of my thoughts, I realized Luffy was getting further and further from us. I tried yelling at him to slow down but he either didn't hear me, or he wasn't paying attention and was only thinking of food. Most likely the latter. Ace and I ran faster, trying to keep up but eventually we lost sight of our little brother. We didn't stop running. In fact, we ran faster than we thought we could. I soon realized something. It wasn't that Luffy was going faster than us. It was the fact that we were slowing down. The trees weren't flying past us like before or how they usually do. Eventually, we were exhausted and forced to stop. By looking around, I could see that we were barely halfway to the hunting grounds. But then why were we so tired? Usually we could run all the way there at top speed, get breakfast, and then run back with breakfast in hand and only then be tired. I decided to blame it on Luffy for eating all the food from dinner. We most likely didn't have enough energy. Looking at Ace, I realized he was thinking the same because he was glaring in Luffy's direction. This one wasn't playful though. This glare promised a punch to the head, maybe even multiple. I shivered at the thought of the amount of pain Luffy would be feeling later.

As soon as we started to head down the path again, a flash of bright light blinded me. The only thing I heard at that moment was Ace calling my name with a worried, confused and cautious tone. Immediately after the call, I heard absolutely nothing. It was as if the world had gone mute. There was nothing but silence and that blinding white light. I don't know how long it was like that. The only thing I could think of at the moment was a single question; did I just die? It felt like what everyone says about the afterlife. That light that engulfs you and takes you away. No sound was most likely because there was nothing needed to be heard on the way to the afterlife. But one thing confused me. I thought you were supposed to see your entire life flash before your eyes when you died and yet I've only seen white. Maybe it was just a myth. Maybe the endless white light was the real afterlife. Damn it! Why was I thinking this? I'm too young to die! I can't leave my brothers! And if I did have to die so young, why did it have to be on this island? I didn't even get a chance at true freedom…

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of cannonballs exploding, gunshots, yelling, and metal clashing against metal. The sounds of a large battle – maybe even war – basically. I blinked my eyes a few times and found the light fading. While looking around, I saw what could be described as a battlefield. The sun was blocked out by the dust which had been kicked up by the fighting. I saw men being shot and falling to the ground, dead before they land. Men being stabbed, slashed and cut. Some died instantly while others either lost a limb and panicked or continued fighting. There were groups of men who were taken down by a single cannonball or even a single man. I'll admit, I've been scared a few times in my whole life. But I've never been so scared that I couldn't move like what was currently happening. These men… They were the strong ones. The ones you didn't want to mess with unless you were a monster. A real monster.

While focusing on what was happening in front of me, I didn't see the man behind me. He ran at me, intending to kill me, but was stopped by another man. At the sound of clashing metal, I turned around and saw the two men fighting. The one who protected me quickly defeated my attacker before yelling at me to stay out of the way. I didn't need to be told twice. I ran. I ran and ran and ran. Where I was headed, I had no clue but soon I bumped into someone else. I quickly stood and held my pipe – which I was still somehow carrying – at the person, ready to fight, when I saw who it was. "Ace?" I had muttered, just loud enough to see my older brother on his butt and holding his pipe as well. He quickly stood and his eyes widened while looking at me. Instantly, I knew what he was thinking. "We aren't dead. If we were, then me running into you wouldn't have hurt." I had stated, my eyes never leaving the war around us.

Ace soon followed my lead and looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Our senses from living in the forest and being thieves soon kicked in and we could hear the running steps behind us getting closer. With a short nod, we turned in unison and took the attacker down. To my surprise, it was fairly easy. My only guess was that he was a lackey for one of the monsters I saw fighting before. Within moments, Ace and I were a fighting machine. People had gathered around to either 'take down the easy targets' or to avenge a friend we had taken down previously. Soon enough, a majority of the lackeys were down and we had nothing more than a scratch or two each. I was starting to get cocky and so was Ace. I only knew this because I could practically hear the grin in his words as he told the remaining lackeys to 'fight like real men'. When he said that, the atmosphere around us instantly changed. In that instant, I realized something. These guys were just toying with us and now… Now they were pissed. I quickly turned to Ace to tell him we needed to run, but before I could say anything, I knew my words wouldn't work. He had that look in his eye. The look that yearned for adventure and fighting, just so he could make himself known. It was his dream after all.

When the first guy came at us, I immediately realized the difference between our strength and his. What terrified me more, was the fact that this was nothing more than a lackey. A lackey! The lowest of the low in a group of fighters! He was just the little guy that the big guys could flick and he'd be dead! If he was that low… Then what'd that make us? We were just some ten year olds from the East Blue and these guys… These guys were probably from the Grand Line! We wouldn't stand a chance.

Immediately, I grabbed Ace by the wrist and began running, despite him yelling at me to stop. I wouldn't. If I stopped running, there was a chance we would die and Luffy still needed us. So I kept running and soon, I wasn't dragging Ace anymore but rather running beside him. I don't know when it happened, but at some point, we had entered the stranger part of the battle. While running, we had left the normal fighting between swordsmen, sharpshooters, and martial artists only to enter the world of devil fruits. Ace and I paused only to stare in awe at a fat and grotesque man who seemed to control darkness as he fought what looked like a teenager who was able to make his arms and legs bigger than the rest of himself while coating them in some kind of black substance. We didn't have much time to watch the battle as a woman's voice stretched from the nearby sea and towards us.

Looking towards the voice, I saw a large and colorful ship which seemed to have a pirate flag. I honestly was confused but decided to question it later. The woman who shouted before was standing on the deck with her hands cupped around her mouth as she yelled at us to come to the ship. We didn't need to be told again as Ace and I quickly made a mad dash towards the strange ship. As we got closer to the ship, I realized just what the figurehead was but the flag was still flowing and I wasn't able to focus much on it. Seeing the sunflower-lion-like figurehead made me even more confused. Was this actually a pirate ship, or just a random ship? With how playful it looked, I couldn't take it seriously and thought about how much Luffy would have loved the ship. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and ran faster. Soon we were sprinting as fast as possible and were standing next to the ship within seconds. Somebody from the deck had thrown a rope ladder down and Ace and I quickly climbed. As soon as we were on the grass covered deck – what is with this ship? It's already so strange – I saw the woman from before and blushed lightly at how little clothing she was wearing.

The woman had long flowing orange hair that was a little brighter than Dadan's hair but was much better taken care of. Her hair fell down to her waist, just above her denim short shorts, and followed her curves perfectly, which were obvious due to the fact that she only wore a bikini top. Focusing a little more, I saw a strange tattoo on her left shoulder along with what I thought was a log pose on her left wrist. Accompanying the log pose was a single gold bracelet and on her feet were laced up high heels that went past the ankle. After assuring we were alright, she leaned over the railing again and shouted out to the battlefield something about marines. At the mention of that one word, I could see Ace tense slightly out the corner of my eye. Almost instantly, two men and a robot came onto the deck of the ship.

"Let's get out of here!" I heard someone yell before I turned to look at the rest of the people on deck.

"We can't! The shitty captain is still out there!" I heard a blonde man with a curly eyebrow yell.

"Are you kidding me!? Why does he always have to fight so much!?" A long nosed man yelled as he jumped from somewhere higher on the ship and landed next to us.

"Yohoho! I'm sure you'd do the same if you were in his position Usopp-san!" A man – no, wait, skeleton? – had said, sounding as if somehow smiling.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" A – reindeer? – asked worriedly as it stood on the railing, facing the ongoing battle.

"I'm sure captain-san knows what he's doing doctor-san." A tall black haired woman with a soft voice stated calmly, though the owners soft blue eyes showed the worry that didn't come through in speech.

"I swear I'm gonna kill that idiot if he doesn't get back here soon." The orange haired woman growled as her hand curled into a fist.

I looked to Ace and saw he was watching the battle in the distance much like the others on deck. I couldn't help but watch either. It was honestly amazing. From how it sounded, one of them – if not both of them – were pirate captains. A fight between a captain and his rival was nothing to miss nor joke about. I watched in awe again as the man made his fists grow to extreme sizes before coating them in that black substance and continuously striking the other man who seemed to just vanish. The fat man grabbed the others shoulder and the others fist shrank to normal sizes again before the fat man punched him in the back, nearly sending him flying. I didn't know why, but I had this sudden feeling that the fat man dissevered whatever ass kicking the younger intended to give him. Alas, the battle was cut short by a cannonball landing in between the two fighters. I heard the orangette yell for her captain to hurry and all I could do was hope the fat man wouldn't come towards this ship.

To my luck, it was the younger who came running towards us. Within seconds, the orangette was spouting orders to all the men, including the captain. I couldn't have been more confused. Wasn't the captain supposed to give orders? I guess this crew was different. Well, at this point, I couldn't say it was a guess. More like a statement. I mean, the captain looked kinda like a teen – though I hadn't seen his face yet – and was taking orders from someone else. Along with that, there was a marimo, a perverted dartboard, a terrified Pinocchio, a reindeer that could somehow talk, a robot-cyborg-thing and a skeleton with an afro. Honestly, I think the only normal people are the two women on board.

When we could no longer see the island or the explosions decorating it, everything calmed down. So calm that most of the men had literally fallen onto their backs and onto the grass layered deck. They looked ready to take a nap as the reindeer walked around and checked for any wounds but was interrupted by the orangette. She quickly announced the presence of Ace and I – though she called us two kids much to Ace's annoyance and my irritation. Quickly we shook it off as everyone sat up and looked at us before introducing themselves.

"I'm the great and powerful captain Usopp! It's nice to meet new members of my crew." The long nosed man had said which caused Ace to growl in annoyance and for the man – Usopp – to cower. I carefully looked over Usopp and realized he looked like any ordinary man. He was wearing baggy cream colored pants that stopped just above his tan boots. He wore an open jacket that showed some of the muscles on his chest along with a bag which was slung over one shoulder and laid on his opposite hip. On his head, he wore a strange hat which let his poufy hair stand out in the back as he wore goggles over his eyes.

"What was that about 'great and powerful'?" Ace muttered in annoyance as I chuckled at his remark.

"Sorry about him. He's a liar. He likes to tell tall tales." The orangette said with a smile. "I'm Nami by the way. I'm the navigator."

"He's not the captain, right?" I had asked without fully meaning to. I tried to cover my mouth, much to the woman's – Nami's – amusement.

"No he isn't. He's just the sniper." Nami stated.

"Hey!" Usopp shouted, lifting his goggles to lightly glare at Nami. "I'll have you know I control well over ten thousand men!"

"Sit down 'oh mighty captain'." A blonde man said. I looked in his direction and saw a tall blonde wearing black dress pants and a white dress shirt which was mostly covered by a black pinstripe vest and decorated by a thin black tie which went under the vest. Looking at his face, I gained some curiosity. He had a dark goatee and his messy blonde hair covered his right eye but openly showed his curly eyebrow above his left eye. "I'm Sanji. I'm the chef here."

"Don't eat anything he makes. It all tastes like crap." A deep voiced muttered. I looked towards the voice and saw a man with green cropped hair, sitting and leaning against the railing while allowing his three swords to rest on his right shoulder. He wore a green coat that showed his chest and the long scar running across it along with his green haramaki. Around his waist he had a red sash that held his coat closed but allowed the sight of his black pants and boots. As final touches I suppose, he has a black bandana tied around his left bicep and three gold earring on his left ear.

"Shut up you shitty marimo!" Sanji yelled, raising his leg as if ready to fight.

"Both of you shut it!" Nami shouted.

"Yes Nami-swan~!" Sanji sang as his one visible eye turned into a heart.

"Tch. She devil…" The marimo muttered.

"Shut up Zoro." Nami said, raising a fist to emphasize her point and causing the marimo, Ace and I to sweatdrop before she turned back to us. "Ignore him. That's Zoro. He only sleeps, fight, and train."

"So he's a waste of space?" Ace questioned.

"Hey! Remember the lessons!" I yelled at my brother.

Sanji laughed loudly. "I like him! You and me can get along kid."

"Sanji-kun. Please calm down." A black haired woman said with a soft voice which was accompanied by just as soft a smile and softer blue eyes. Her long black hair fell straight back and flowed lightly with the breeze causing the sunglasses on the top of her head to move ever so slightly. She wore a maroon tang top which seemed tight until it got to her mid-stomach where it turned loose and flowed in the wind as well. With it, she was simple black tights that went to just below her knees and ended just above her knee high black boots. "My name is Nico Robin. It's very nice to meet you boys."

Out the corner of my eye, I saw Ace blush ever so slightly. Huh… So that's what he liked? Oh I'm using this against him later on. At least she seemed nice and looked pretty. I saw Ace bow a little before shyly saying hello.

"Yohohoho! He's so shy suddenly!" The skeleton laughed. His outfit was… unique to say the least. He wore a black tuxedo jacket with a blue cravat and a scarf made with orange feathers laid around his neck. His pants were a salmon pink and were covered in white flowers. He wore slightly curved yet pointed shoes and carried a purple cane. Personally, the strangest part was the afro and its size. On his forehead was a pair of sunglasses which looked like each lens was a sideways heart and on top of his afro was a large crown. "Oh! My name is Brook. It fills my heart with joy to see you are safe and unharmed. Oh! But I don't have a heart. Yohohohoho!"

"Ah! I didn't check either of you for any wounds!" The reindeer shouted as it ran over to us. The reindeer was no taller than either of us. It was about the same height, maybe shorter by an inch or two. It had on a large blue hat that had a pink circle in the center and in the center of that was a large white 'X'. The clothing was simple in the fact that it was nothing more than orange pants and a white and orange stripped shirt. The reindeer opened its blue backpack and took out a few supplies before cleaning up our small cuts and scratches.

"So… What are you? A tanuki?" Ace had asked.

"Obviously not." I said, before anyone else could speak. "It's a reindeer, idiot." The reindeer and the rest of the crew all looked at me in shock. "What?"

"Yow! Nobody's ever gotten that right! Not even us when we first met him! You're SUPER smart, bro!" The robot guy shouted while doing a strange pose. He wore nothing but an open red shirt with palm trees on it and a red speedo which allowed all the robotic parts of him to show. His shoulders looked like large red orbs, his hands were huge and pink for some reason, and his lower arms were large box's almost which, when combined, made a large star. Probably the simplest thing on him was either his blue hair which was combed to curve upwards, the stitches that went straight down from each shoulder and into his speedos, or the metallic panels that wrapped around his legs.

"That's Franky. He's kind of a pervert but really cool. He's also our shipwright. I'm Chopper by the way. Tony Tony Chopper and I'm the doctor. Thanks for knowing I'm a reindeer." The reindeer – Chopper – said with a smile.

"You're welcome. And thank you for helping us." I said with a slight nod.

"You bastard~! Thanking me doesn't make me happy!" Chopper nearly sang as he danced around.

"This ship is so weird…" Ace muttered.

"You think this is bad? Wait till you meet our captain." Sanji said as he placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it.

"That reminds me. Captain-san isn't usually this quiet." Robin stated.

"Yeah. He usually is the first person our guests meet." Usopp said. "I wonder where he is…"

"Nami! Where's my hat!?" A shout came from below deck.

Nami sighed before yelling back. "I'll go get it! Get up here and introduce yourself to our guests!"

Within seconds, one of the doors to the lawn deck had opened and out came the man from before. He still looked pretty young but not as young as my brothers and I. Probably in his late teens. He wore an open red long sleeved cardigan which showed a large 'X' shaped scar on his chest. Other than the open shirt, he wore semi-worn out denim shorts and sandals. What seemed almost strange to me was his face. He had the same grin as our little brother and even the same scar under the left eye. But his eyes… They weren't as innocent. It was obvious he'd seen plenty of death and even a few wars. While looking over the captain, I hadn't noticed Nami leave. All I saw was her coming back before placing a hat on the man's head. My eyes widened when I realized what the hat was and Ace must have realized the same.

"Where'd you get that hat…?" Ace nearly growled as he scowled at the man with all his anger. I knew exactly how Ace felt and why. Because I was wearing the same look. That man had attempted to look like our little brother and even had his hat. Luffy would never let that hat leave him. So if this stranger had it… I didn't even want to know what had happened. All I knew, was that this man, this imposter, was going to pay for hurting our little brother.

"I got it from Shanks." The man grinned.

"LIAR!" Ace and I yelled in unison by accident. "Shanks gave his hat to our brother! How would you have gotten it!?"

The man just looked at us with a blank stare before tilting his head to the side and looking confused. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean by 'our brother'?" Nami asked, slightly fearful although I didn't care much how she felt.

"Shanks gave that straw hat to our little brother Luffy a few months ago. So how do you have it?" I had asked, knowing Ace wouldn't have tried to reason. After a few moments of silence, I looked at each of their faces. Everyone looked sad and confused at the same time. Everyone except the captain. The captain slowly and carefully stepped towards us before kneeling in front of us and grinning. What he said next I would have never expected to hear.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy. It's been a while. Ace. Sabo." The captain – or Luffy as he had said – paused for a moment as his grin widened. "I told you I'd get stronger."

**(Aaaaaaaaaaand done! So… I have no words. Hope you liked it I guess. Not sure I said it before but, I only decided to write this because of the poll. I'm gonna put up a new one that is ONLY asking what I should update. Tell me what you thought of this writing style too. This was a first. Fave, follow, read my other stuff, vote and review! Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 12:00 PM (noon)**

**End time – 3:00 AM**


	2. The Brothers

Chapter 2: The Brothers

**(Hey guyz~! I'm sorry to everyone who reads my other stories when they're first out and everyone else. I usually put up chapter one and then the very next day is chapter two. But I didn't have that chance this time. Sorry. But I have today off from school so I'm taking up the opportunity. **

**For those who didn't see it (most people) I put up a one-shot yesterday. It's based off the songs Sorry by Art of Dying and Just a Dream by Sam Tsui. It's called 'Sorry, But It's Just a Dream'. I would appreciate it if I could get a few of my awesome fans to read it.**

**On to the crap!)**

**Warning: There will be mistakes no matter how many times I proof read. If you find something that I didn't, please tell me.**

-x-x-x-

_Previously:_

_While looking over the captain, I hadn't noticed Nami leave. All I saw was her coming back before placing a hat on the man's head. My eyes widened when I realized what the hat was and Ace must have realized the same._

"_Where'd you get that hat…?"_

_What he said next I would have never expected to hear._

"_My name's Monkey D. Luffy. It's been a while. Ace. Sabo." The captain – or Luffy as he had said – paused for a moment as his grin widened. "I told you I'd get stronger."_

-x-x-x-

**Ace's POV**

What did he say? Did this man just call himself Luffy? Call himself our brother? No. I wouldn't allow that. Yeah I treated the kid badly, but he was still our little brother and I will protect him. No matter what.

I stared – no glared – at the man who thought he could pretend to be our little brother. I looked at Sabo through the corner of my eye and saw his surprise was slowly turning into anger. I looked back at the man and saw his grin. That's when I snapped. I lunged at the man and tackled him to the ground. He didn't fight back but that grin was finally gone. Everyone around us pointed their weapons towards us. Sabo ran up beside me with his pipe in hand and ready to fight back. My eyes never left the captain. He had the same scar but he could have done that to make himself look more like Luffy.

"Ace! Get off him!"

My eyes widened in shock before my head turned to the person who spoke. I glared at the orange hair girl – she said her name was Nami but that might be a lie too. She looked worried, scared, and… sad.

"How do you know his name?" I heard Sabo growl. Huh. I think that's the first time I've heard Sabo growl while being serious. I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts for the moment. I kept glaring at the woman when I saw her worriedly staring at the captain I was holding down. My eyes turned to the man. My confusion grew when I saw… he looked betrayed. Like the only people he cared for just attacked him.

My grip on the man loosened due to shock but he never moved. Didn't try to get up or fight back. He just kept looking at me with those eyes. Those eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. My breath hitched when I saw all those emotions in him. Mourning, sadness, betrayal, and pain – emotional, not physical.

I looked away from the man and chose to glare at the girl again. Those eyes had the same effect as Luffy's own, but his were never this dark. Not even after the Porchemy incident.

"He said it. He said your names remember?" The orange haired girl said hesitantly.

"Then how did he know our names?" I questioned. There was no growl like before. There was anger, yes. But there was also confusion and a slight softness, although you would only hear it if you listened carefully.

"Because he's-"

"Don't you dare say that!" Sabo and I shouted in unison, cutting off the green haired samurai.

"Shitty brats. They're better when they're older." The blond dartboard muttered, though Sabo and I heard perfectly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sabo questioned.

I was getting annoyed. There's always more questions then there is answers! Even when I asked the old man something he gave me a half decent answer. These people were avoiding the answers though. And it was getting annoying to the point that, if they didn't answer one more question, I couldn't say what Sabo and I would do.

"Gol D. Ace and Outlook Sabo." A voice whispered.

My breath hitched as my eyes widened and I froze. As soon as I could move again, I looked at Sabo and saw he was just as shocked. We both looked down with panicked expressions and saw the man with his eyes shadowed slightly. My breathing turned into almost panicked gasps. The man's face was blank, but his mouth was slightly opened as if he had just spoke. It was quiet enough that only we heard I guess because everyone else looked confused.

"H-how do you kn-know those n-names…?" I stuttered for the first time in my entire life.

"Sabo told me who your dad was Ace. You beat us both up that night. We were running through Goa Kingdom when a noble called for Sabo. After we left the kingdom, Sabo told us he was a noble's son but we didn't know he was talking about himself."

"W-what…?" Sabo questioned, but the man continued.

"Ace and Sabo are both ten but Ace is older by two months. Ace's birthday is January first. Sabo's birthday is March twentieth. I'm three years younger than you both. My birthday is May fifth. Sabo is ashamed that he's a noble and Ace doesn't think he deserves to live."

My eyes widened with what he said. I was silenced by my shock. I wanted to yell at him that it's not true but… I couldn't. Everything he said was true. He continued speaking but I wasn't listening. After a while of staring at the floor and unconsciously shaking, I snapped. "Shut up already! You've said enough! I don't want to hear it! I don't care what you say! You are not Luffy and you'll never be!"

Everyone was shocked into silence and were even frozen in place. I was nothing short of angry and ran. I ran deep into the ship and barely heard Sabo yelling my name. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to see anyone. That man… As much as I hate to say it, he was telling the truth. The only thing that clearly got into my head was the last statement I heard.

'_Ace doesn't think he deserves to live._'

My mind repeated it multiple times. Over and over and over until that statement turned into something else. '_Ace doesn't deserve to live._' I don't know how long I was running or where I was going. The only thing I knew at that moment was that I didn't deserve to live. I was a waste of space to the world. I'm the son of a demon and should never have been born. My birth was a mistake. I deserve death. I deserve it more than anyone.

When I came back to my senses, I was in a weird place. There were six giant metal doors around the rounded room that had numbers on them. I lifted one of the doors enough to see in but only saw black. There was no light, only darkness. I was about to close it when I heard voices coming towards me. In fear, I ran into the room and quietly closed the door. I didn't care that I couldn't see anything. I just didn't want to talk to anyone. Didn't want to see anyone.

I'll admit it. I was afraid they would hurt me. I knew I deserved death but I was also scared of it. I wanted to die but I didn't at the same time. I was afraid of the pain it would bring but… I knew I didn't deserve life.

I walked around the room for a little while before I stepped in something wet. I leaned down and found water. I kept walking and found it getting deeper. When the voices got close to the room I was in, I went deeper and hid behind whatever was in the water. It was metal so I figured it was a boat. I hid behind it and waited for the door to open or the voices to leave. Soon, I heard the door opening. As soon as the lights came on, I panicked and went underwater. I held my breath and waited for them to leave.

I could see their shadows from under the boat and watched the only one that got close. After a while, my lungs started to hurt. They were taking their time and I was running out of air. I needed to breathe. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. Panic causes the heart to beat faster which means faster breathing, I think. So if I was calm it would be the opposite, right? Right. So I calmed my heart which took some pain away but my lungs still felt like they were on fire.

When I opened to eyes, I saw black dots everywhere and darkness was encircling my vision. Slowly my vision got worse and I questioned if I was dying. My ears were ringing, my vision was going dark, my lungs were burning, and I was starting to go numb. In the last moments that I was conscious, I saw someone jump into the water. As my vision went black, I thought one thing. '_Go away._'

-x-x-x-

**Sabo's POV**

I ran behind Ace but eventually I lost sight of him. There were too many turns and his panicked running made him faster. Eventually I had to stop to catch my breath. I heard running behind me and when I looked I saw the crew. The captain, who seemed more and more like Luffy, was running fastest and looked worried.

"Where's Ace?" The captain asked. He didn't just look worried. He really was. It was in his eyes, voice, and movements.

"I… I don't know. He got ahead of me and I lost him. But I'm worried… He stopped listening when you said what he thinks… I think he heard it differently and panicked. He usually fights when someone says it but… All this confusion is messing with him I think." I explained, looking anywhere but the captain who I knew was panicking more.

"What do you think he's thinking?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"He…" I couldn't say it. It hurt to hear my brother speak his thoughts and hurt just as much to repeat it.

"He thinks he deserves to die. That's why he didn't fight back at Marineford." The captain stated to my shock. I didn't know what Marineford was and I didn't think I wanted to. But the rest of the crew understood and seemed to grow more worried.

Immediately, we all started running again. The sound of our running didn't block out the sound of a metal door closing though. I heard Franky say something about a soldier dock system. I decided to question it later and kept running. Soon we were in a round room with six numbered metal doors. I looked around and saw a door that seemed somewhat different. I walked over to it and saw the thin metal plating was vibrating slightly as if it had just been closed. I looked at the number and saw a large red two painted on it.

The crew followed me to it and Franky lifted the door. I tried looking around but only found darkness. We walked in and somebody turned on the lights. I was surprised to find a dock filled with water and a boat with a sheep head sitting there. I guess that was the soldier dock system Franky had mentioned. I looked around and found only the boat. I walked deeper in but couldn't find anything. "I don't get it. I know he's in here."

"Maybe he kept running? Hit the door to knock us off course?" Usopp asked.

"Maybe. When he's normal. I've only seen him panic once before and I _know _he doesn't think straight when he does. He didn't do that." I said before looking around once more. I saw a bubble in the water and my eyes widened. "No… That idiot!" was all I said before I jumped into the water. It was deep and the salt water was burning my eyes. I swam around a little before I saw something under the boat. I swam over to it and saw Ace. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open while his body was limp. I panicked and quickly grabbed him before swimming to the surface. I tossed him out of the water before jumping out myself.

I watched Chopper look him over. The crew were all worried but Luffy and I were panicked. I was so focused on Ace that I didn't even realize I had called the captain by our brother's name. We watched Chopper perform CPR. I was starting to lose hope for Ace the longer it took. I was terrified. I buried my face in my hands and tried to hide my tears that were welling up. I felt warm arms wrap around me and looked at the person only to see the captain with a pained expression and closed eyes. I fisted his red shirt and tried not to cry but a few tears slipped out.

"Chopper's the best doctor I know. Ace'll be fine." The captain whispered though I didn't know if he was comforting me or himself.

I heard coughing and immediately turned my head to see Chopper – who looked like a yeti at the moment – holding Ace up as my brother coughed up all the water in his lungs. My hands moved to my mouth as I smiled in joy that he was alive. The tears continued to fall freely but they were of joy instead. I broke away from the captain's embrace and ran to Ace.

**Ace's POV**

I woke up in a coughing fit and felt a large hand holding my back so I could sit up. My throat and lungs still burned as the water was coughed up. When all the water was gone, I sat there panting and trying to fill my lungs with something other than water. I hadn't even opened my eyes before I was tackled into a hug. Judging by the size of the person, it was most likely Sabo. Immediately I was punched in the head with Sabo calling me an idiot. I tried to figure out what he was talking about but couldn't. I couldn't remember what had just happened.

I opened my eyes to look at my brother when I saw the crew in front of me. I instantly remembered where I was and what had just happened. I tried backing away from them but the hand on my back and Sabo kept me in place. I saw the captain walking closer and I internally panicked again. I closed my eyes tightly and turned my head away, my body stiffening. I waited for him to attack me but it didn't happen. The hand on my back disappeared and was replaced by two warm arms holding me close. I looked up and saw the captain. He looked like he had been crying but I couldn't tell what for.

"_Never _do that again Ace." I thought it was Sabo that spoke but when I looked at him, his chin was on my shoulder and I didn't feel it move. I looked at the captain and he was looking at me with worried eyes. "Promise me Ace. You really scared us."

I was beyond shocked. Didn't he say I deserved to die? And why did he care? He just met us... My thoughts faded as I remembered what he was saying earlier. Maybe… Maybe he didn't _just _meet us… Maybe… No. I can't be thinking that. Lu is still at home and running around in the forest. This man isn't him. Lu… Are you safe? Do you miss us? What am I thinking? Of course you miss us. You hate being alone. That means we have to get home. Soon.

A sigh brought me out of my thoughts. I looked around and saw the blond dartboard lighting a cigarette and turning around. "Chopper. Is it alright for him to eat?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah. As long as it's easy. Nothing too much." The reindeer-thing said.

"Soup it is." The dartboard said before leaving the room.

"Come on. We need to get you some dry clothes." Sabo said, pulling away enough to face me.

I looked at my brother and laughed softly, even though it hurt my throat. "Same to you." My voice was scratchy and hurt like hell. Note to self: Stay away from water for a while and don't talk too much.

Sabo laughed. "You sound like shit." I glared at him softly. It would have been stronger but I was exhausted. I tried to punch him but it didn't have much strength behind it. "Okay okay. I get it." He said with a sheepish grin.

I felt like I was being picked up and found myself in the captain's arms. He smiled at me with the same happy smile that Luffy had. All signs of sadness and torment were gone from his eyes. Though they still showed experience. He was a real pirate. One that had gone through so much but was still able to smile. He was strong in a way that wasn't physical. Maybe emotionally or mentally. No not mentally. If he chose to be Luffy then he must be stupid.

I decided to try. To get along somewhat until we got home. I smiled softly in return and his eyes lit up with joy. If that's all it took to make him happy, then it shouldn't be too hard.

The captain moved me a bit so he could hold me with one arm and picked up Sabo with the other. I would have fought back, but I was too exhausted. Sabo must have noticed or thought the same because he didn't try anything either.

"Chopper. Can they borrow some of your clothes until we get them some of their own?" The captain asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Chopper said with a smile of his own before running off with the rest of the crew in tow. The captain followed as well and with us in his arms. Once we were on deck, everyone split up and went in their own directions.

I saw the black haired lady – Robin I think – sit on one of the lawn chairs under a tree. She picked up a book and began reading. Nami sat on an identical chair on the opposite side of the tree and read a newspaper. The samurai was climbing up the mast to what looked like a room, probably the crow's nest. I noticed the robot and long-nose weren't on deck, they probably stayed behind. The dartboard was walking into a room on the second deck, most likely the kitchen, with the skeleton close behind him. Not even a moment later, the skeleton was kicked out of the room with the door slammed behind him. I guess Sabo and the captain saw it too because they were laughing with me. When he stopped laughing, the captain started walking to a room with an open door.

As soon as we were inside, I saw Chopper at one of the multiple bunk beds and digging through a trunk. He pulled out an orange shirt, a blue shirt, and some dark shorts. He walked over to us and handed the orange shirt to me, the blue shirt to Sabo and a pair of shorts to both of us. The captain sat us down on one of the beds which was more comfortable than I expected.

"Get changed. I'll wait outside the door. Call if you need anything." The captain said as he and Chopper walked to the door. Sabo and I did nothing but nod enough for him to get an answer.

As soon as they were gone and the door was closed, I turned to Sabo. "Do you trust them?" I whispered. Surprisingly, whispering didn't hurt my throat and my voice didn't sound weird. Well, not too weird.

"They just saved your life Ace. Are you really questioning them?" Sabo asked in disbelief. "If they hated us, they would have thrown us overboard. Obviously they care if they're helping us. They're giving us clothes and food. Think about it that way. There's also the fact that we can't go anywhere. We're stuck here and have no clue how to get home."

I couldn't help but sigh – even that sounded weird – he was right as always. I couldn't fight Sabo. I may have been stronger, but he was smarter – I'll never admit that aloud though. I gave up. I heard a knock at the door and looked towards it.

The door opened and revealed Chopper. He smiled when he saw we were still dressed and walked in with towels. He gave one to Sabo and started drying my hair himself. I guess he thought I was too weak to do that much. I didn't fight back. I thought for a moment if this was what it was like to be Lu when he gets wet. Probably.

"Can you raise your arms?" Chopper asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. I raised my arms enough for him to take off my shirt so he could dry off my arms and torso.

"How can you talk?" Sabo asked from beside me while the towel sat on top of his head and draped past his shoulders.

Chopper looked at Sabo for a moment before he went back to drying me off. "I ate a Devil Fruit. The Hito Hito no Mi or Human Human Fruit. It's a Zoan type that lets me turn into a human or a hybrid. I can talk because the fruit gave me intelligence so I can understand language and medicine." He said with a smile as he put the orange shirt on my torso.

"That's really cool. Devil Fruits are amazing." Sabo said in awe. I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"But Luffy's is really stupid." I whispered with a light chuckle.

"What?" Chopper asked curiously.

"Our little brother doesn't know how to use his Devil Fruit so he hits everything _but _the target." Sabo explained with a smile and a small shake of the head before shrugging. "But he's getting better with it."

"Really? So he just got his Devil Fruit? They're hard to control at first. Nobody can immediately understand how to use their Devil Fruit. When S- one of our friends got their Devil Fruit, they looked like they understood how to use it but they were clueless." Chopper laughed.

"Were… Were you about to say 'Sabo'?" I whispered, gaining said brother's attention.

Chopper froze up a little but still spoke. "Y-yeah."

"How's that possible?" Sabo asked. "I don't have a Devil Fruit."

"So you are Sabo…" Chopper muttered. "I think I know what happened. I think you two jumped through time. You're in the future. How old are you two?"

"Ten." Sabo and I said in unison.

"Then…" Chopper paused to think. "You're twelve years in the future."

Sabo and I were frozen with wide eyes. After a few moments, we blinked before realization hit us. "WHAT!?"

**(Aaaaaaaaand done! Just over four thousand! Ha! I actually planned this chapter out differently but the last chapter messed me up. It was supposed to be the crew find out it's Sabo and Ace and Zoro yells that them to stop lying and all that but this happened instead. Still works and gets me to the next chapter though. Speaking of next chapter, that's the last one I have planned so I'm gonna need some help with ideas. Please share your thoughts.**

**By the way, Ace's POV was requested by Ghostunderasheet. I decided that I will take requests for different POV's. If you want to see a specific persons POV or just third person, I can try it for the next chapter depending on if it fits. Like, I'm not gonna do Chopper's POV when the chapter has only the brothers in it. Get it? All characters work for the next chapter so you know.**

**Reviews:**

**Guest 1: I'm happy you liked it. Here's an update.**

**XxFire-PhoenixxX: 'Su exciting'? Okay XD Here's an update.**

**Kurogitsune Yue: Does this tell you what happened next?**

**RaptorandFox: Makes me happy that you like it.**

**MegDBrew: You read all my stories don't you? Your name is getting to be very familiar XD I'm happy I could give you the kind of story you want. **

**izzywolf22: I'll only stop writing this when you see the word '**_**Fin**_**' at the end of a chapter or if you see the words 'discontinued' in the summary. No need to worry.**

** Bananana na: I think I got that right. Your name made me temporarily blind… XD I'm honestly happy I could get you to tear up. If you don't feel emotion, then it isn't a good story. Hearing people say they were smiling or crying or anything because of my stories makes my day and honestly gives me hope that my stories aren't complete shit. By the way, I tried not to use 'I' in this as much but I think there's more XD**

**kanji855: Not gonna stop till the story ends.**

**N Harmonic: Luffy's Luffy. And Luffy is not good at arguments. Bad things happen during them.**

**Lady of the Shards: Nope. He just accepted it. He's Luffy. You tell him a pig can fly and he'll just accept it!**

**realityfromfiction: Honestly, your name is one of the easiest and I messed up three times… I'm stupid XD That's what happened. Did you like?**

**Cyborgnetics: I'm happy you like it. How people hate chibis, I'll never know.**

**Matsukaze Tenma: I'm glad it's interesting. Here's an update.**

**Guest 2: Don't think too highly of this XD Most likely, it'll turn into shit! Hope I can keep it good though.**

**MeryChosoany: Have an update! I hope you like it.**

**Ghostunderasheet: I'm sure I've said it at some point but I love your name XD It's just funny. Hope Ace's POV was good. Thanks for the suggestion by the way.**

**Neko11: You wrote a review while I wrote this. Awesome! :D I hope you liked it. I'll try to get in another fight soon but not too soon. I was thinking about Blackbeard attacking again while Ace was hiding but figured that would be too much. **

**To everyone who calls this great, you are expecting **_**way **_**too much from me. But I'm glad you like it and I'll try to continue as I am and even do better. I realized with every story I write, my skills seem to get a little better with a slight exception here and there. As to the usual. Fave, follow, read my other stuff, vote on my weekly update polls and review! Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 11:40 AM**

**End time – 5:00 PM**


	3. Update: Future Updates and Poll

Update: Future Updates and Polls

**(Hey guyz~! I'm sorry to say this, but this isn't an update. It's just a message. I know I take my time to update stuff but that's because I somewhat have a life and end up either busy or with writers block. But this time, it's for a different reason. I'm gonna be in the opbigbang and need to focus on that for a while. I'll try to get a few other stories updated here and there but it's probably gonna take a while. Sorry.**

**Also, I have a weekly/biweekly poll asking what fanfics should be updated next. Every One Piece fanfic I have so far is on the poll and I would like all my fans to know, not just the ones that read Proof of His Strength. So if you've been reading one of my stories and **_**really **_**want it updated, please vote. If you don't care which is updated then alright. **

**So sorry if I got your hopes up but I just wanted everyone to know this little bit of news. *bows* Please forgive me. Bai mina.)**


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